President Trump did not attend the dinner for the second consecutive year. Instead, he sent his press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Several attendees walked out in reaction to Wolf's "brutal" comments. Wolf received both praise and criticism for her monologue. The association released a rare statement regarding the monologue. After the dinner, newspaper The Hill informed the WHCA that it would no longer participate in the event, saying, "In short, there's simply no reason for us to participate in something that casts our profession in a poor light. Major changes are needed to the annual event.